FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER

Best 2012 Video Games, Part Two

Games Include Gritty Sci-Fi Environments, Japanese Clans and Imaginative Settings

A screen shot from “Total War: Shogun 2 — Fall of the Samurai.”

By KYLE KENNEDYTHE LEDGER

Published: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.

When I recently wrote about my Favoritest Games of 2012, there were a few titles that got left out, and so I’m here to make amends to the video game gods. Also, I am lazy and needed a quick column idea.

“Total War: Shogun 2 — Fall of the Samurai” (PC; rated Teen) — If you had asked me a few weeks ago to name my favorite strategy title of 2012, I would have easily said “XCOM: Enemy Unknown.” That was perhaps a mistake.

I downloaded “Fall of the Samurai” during Steam’s holiday sale and it is shockingly good. It’s the kind of game that consumes your thoughts long after your PC has been shut down for the night, with visions of thousands of little Japanese soldiers obliterating each other on gorgeously detailed battlefields.

Released in March as stand-alone expansion to last year’s phenomenal “Shogun 2,” “Fall of the Samurai” begins in mid-1860s Japan. It’s an uneasy period of modernization when Japan’s many clans are divided in civil war supporting either the Imperial Court or Tokugawa Shogunate.

Whereas “Shogun 2” was set in 16th-century feudal Japan, the more modern setting of “Fall of the Samurai” allowed for the widespread use of firearms and cannons in battle. And that made for some really spectacular fights, with muzzles flashing and smoke rising from vast lines of infantry trading fire, and cannonballs leaving huge gouge marks on the terrain.

After many previous struggles, this was the year I revisited and finally grasped the “Total War” series, starting with 2009’s “Empire” and then moving on to “Shogun 2” and “Fall of the Samurai.” The latest game is the series was possibly my favorite.

“Dishonored” (360, PS3, PC; rated Mature) — I couldn’t manage to find time for “Dishonored” until late in the year, and still haven’t completed it, but the game has deservedly received a lot of praise. Casting you as a royal bodyguard framed for murder, “Dishonored” had all of the right ingredients: spacious levels that invited exploration and offered multiple solutions to objectives, imaginative and colorful settings, and a satisfying sense of progress as you improved your weapons and abilities.

“Borderlands 2” (360, PS3, PC; rated Mature) and “Torchlight II” (PC) — Two really delightful titles that have mastered the best part of role-playing games: acquiring new gear and shiny loot! I loved the gritty sci-fi environments of “Borderlands 2” and “Torchlight II” is one of the most polished dungeon crawlers on the market. Priced at $20 and with low PC system requirements, anyone who likes “Diablo”-style games should own a copy of “Torchlight II.”

<p>When I recently wrote about my Favoritest Games of 2012, there were a few titles that got left out, and so I'm here to make amends to the video game gods. Also, I am lazy and needed a quick column idea.</p><p>“Total War: Shogun 2 — Fall of the Samurai” (PC; rated Teen) — If you had asked me a few weeks ago to name my favorite strategy title of 2012, I would have easily said “XCOM: Enemy Unknown.” That was perhaps a mistake.</p><p>I downloaded “Fall of the Samurai” during Steam's holiday sale and it is shockingly good. It's the kind of game that consumes your thoughts long after your PC has been shut down for the night, with visions of thousands of little Japanese soldiers obliterating each other on gorgeously detailed battlefields.</p><p>Released in March as stand-alone expansion to last year's phenomenal “Shogun 2,” “Fall of the Samurai” begins in mid-1860s Japan. It's an uneasy period of modernization when Japan's many clans are divided in civil war supporting either the Imperial Court or Tokugawa Shogunate.</p><p>Whereas “Shogun 2” was set in 16th-century feudal Japan, the more modern setting of “Fall of the Samurai” allowed for the widespread use of firearms and cannons in battle. And that made for some really spectacular fights, with muzzles flashing and smoke rising from vast lines of infantry trading fire, and cannonballs leaving huge gouge marks on the terrain.</p><p>After many previous struggles, this was the year I revisited and finally grasped the “Total War” series, starting with 2009's “Empire” and then moving on to “Shogun 2” and “Fall of the Samurai.” The latest game is the series was possibly my favorite.</p><p>“Dishonored” (360, PS3, PC; rated Mature) — I couldn't manage to find time for “Dishonored” until late in the year, and still haven't completed it, but the game has deservedly received a lot of praise. Casting you as a royal bodyguard framed for murder, “Dishonored” had all of the right ingredients: spacious levels that invited exploration and offered multiple solutions to objectives, imaginative and colorful settings, and a satisfying sense of progress as you improved your weapons and abilities.</p><p>“Borderlands 2” (360, PS3, PC; rated Mature) and “Torchlight II” (PC) — Two really delightful titles that have mastered the best part of role-playing games: acquiring new gear and shiny loot! I loved the gritty sci-fi environments of “Borderlands 2” and “Torchlight II” is one of the most polished dungeon crawlers on the market. Priced at $20 and with low PC system requirements, anyone who likes “Diablo”-style games should own a copy of “Torchlight II.”</p>